THERE was a pyjama party, of sorts, at Millicent’s largest workplace on Wednesday.
Senior nursing and administrative staff at Millicent and District Hospital skipped a vital step in their morning routines yesterday and turned up to work in their pyjamas.
The unique move was also adopted by other staff across the region’s hospitals and is part of the promotional ‘End Pyjama Paralysis’ campaign.
Millicent Hospital nurse unit manager Fiona Oliver was one of Millicent’s hospital staff to dress in nightwear and have bacon and egg muffin for breakfast before venturing out to spread the message.
“We want to encourage patients at Millicent who are well enough to get out of bed to start moving and getting dressed is often the first step,” Ms Oliver said.
“The sooner patients can get up and get moving the better.
“This reduces pressure injuries and the chance of falls as the patient rebuilds strength in their muscles once they begin moving around again.
“Long periods spent in a hospital bed can be a major factor in a patient’s decline in muscle strength, muscle mass and physical and cognitive function, which means they spend more time in hospital than needed.
“Seeing the senior Millicent Hospital staff in their pyjamas was an entertaining way of encouraging patients to get out of their pyjamas and into their everyday clothes to motivate them to get active.”
Fellow nurse unit manager Michelle Galli also said the promotional stunt had created a lot of interest.
“We have had queries from patients and visitors and we have been able to tell them about the campaign,” Ms Galli said.
“Promotional posters have also been placed around the hospital.”
The End Pyjama Paralysis campaign was started by Professor Brian Dolan in the United Kingdom and has been embraced by hospitals around the world, which has helped reduce length of stay, pressure injury and fall rates.
Acting director of nursing Mount Gambier and Penola Hospitals, Pam Schubert, said 10 days of bed rest for someone over 80 can age muscles by up to 10 years.
She said it is essential to encourage patients to move.
“For someone at an advanced age, getting up and moving around could be the difference between going home or going to an assisted care facility,” Ms Schubert said.
“The faster we can get people back into their normal everyday habits, the faster they can get out of hospital and recover in the comfort of their own home.
“We also want to help our patients and their families to set goals for their care and recovery and hope seeing staff in their pyjamas will help them to do this.
“We hope to see similar results across the South East, including our hospitals in Mount Gambier, Bordertown, Kingston, Millicent, Naracoorte and Penola.”
The campaign is part of a wider initiative for patients to Get Up, Get Dressed, Get Moving to help them recover.
